Noncompaction of the ventricular myocardium

Noncompaction of the ventricular myocardium is a rare congenital cardiomyop athy resulting from an arrest in normal endomyocardial embryogenesis, The c haracteristic echocardiographic findings consist of multiple, prominent myo cardial trabeculations and deep intertrabecular recesses communicating with the left ventricular cavity. The disease uniformly affects the left ventri cle, with or without concomitant right ventricular involvement, and results in systolic and diastolic ventricular dysfunction and clinical heart failu re. Noncompaction was initially described in children. However, recent stud ies have characterized this disease in the adult population, in whom this p rocess may be more prevalent than currently appreciated. We describe an ill ustrative case of isolated noncompaction of the ventricular myocardium in a 57-year-old woman with the typical clinical and echocardiographic features of the disease. The literature on the topic is reviewed.